Should I Retake the ACT? A 2026 Decision Guide

Often, yes, if a later date still reaches the deadline you care about. In the ACT class of 2026, 31% of students tested more than once, and those retesters gained 1.1 Composite points on average from their first attempt to their latest. That is an average, not a promise, and it is a Composite gain, not a superscore.

This page is the decision: what the class of 2026 numbers mean, how the Superscore works now that Science is out of it, which dates are still open after the October 17 test, and when to leave the score alone. How to raise a score you have already decided to chase is how to improve your ACT score.

What the Class of 2026 Actually Did

ACT's October 14, 2026 release covers about 1.46 million graduates. One in three took the ACT more than once. Among those students, the average Composite rose by 1.1 points from the first attempt to the latest. The share meeting all three College and Career Readiness Benchmarks rose by 7 percentage points between those two attempts, and the share meeting none fell by the same amount. The policy snapshot states it as 31% retesting, with an average Composite gain of 1.1.

Read that carefully. The 1.1 is the average among students who retested, not a raise you should add to the national mean, and not a raise in the Superscore. An older ACT note, from the class of 2025, said retesters increased their Superscore by 2.4 points on average. That is a different statistic, from a different class, using a different combination of section scores. Do not plan on 2.4 Composite points. Plan on the possibility of a modest Composite gain, plus whatever a college's Superscore policy does with your best sections.

The class of 2026 Composite average is 19.2. A gain of 1.1 matters more when you are near a cutoff you can name than when you are hoping for a new tier. ACT's national ranks for tests from September 2026 through August 2027 show how crowded each score is. A 24 ranks 80, a 28 ranks 91, and a 32 ranks 97. Those ranks mean the percent of ACT-tested graduates from 2024, 2025, and 2026 who scored at or below that score. The plans for a 24, a 28, a 30, and a 32 turn a target into section math.

How Superscoring Changes the Decision

Since September 2016, ACT has calculated a Superscore once you have more than one test. On the enhanced ACT, the Superscore Composite is the average of your best English, best Math, and best Reading across dates, divided by 3 and rounded. Science is no longer part of that Composite. ACT says this directly in its Superscore FAQ and in its guidance for colleges. Before the enhanced test, Science could enter a four-section Superscore. It does not now.

Rounding follows the usual rule: a fraction under 0.5 rounds down, and 0.5 or above rounds up. A retake that lifts only one section can still move the Superscore at a college that uses it. A college that wants a single sitting will ignore that and read one date. Check the college's policy before you register. Our ACT superscore guide is the longer version.

The Composite you see on one test date is also English, Math, and Reading only. Science is optional and reported on its own, with a STEM score. If your colleges do not ask for Science, do not spend the retake on it. If one college on the list still wants Science, that college is the reason to add the section, not a general rule.

Dates Still Open After October 17

The October 17, 2026 national test is the sitting whose scores start arriving October 22 for online tests and October 27 for paper tests. If you just took it, wait for that score before you pay for another date, unless a deadline forces the registration now. The next national date is December 12. From ACT's test dates page: regular registration closes November 6, the late deadline is November 29, and the deadline to submit a photo or request standby is December 7. Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Central. Online scores for December start December 17, and paper scores start December 22.

ACT's own pages have disagreed on fee amounts in the past, so this article does not print a late fee. A late fee applies after November 6. Confirm the amount on ACT's fee table the day you register.

December 22 paper scores are tight for January regular decision deadlines. Online testers see scores five days earlier. If a college needs the score in the file by January 1, confirm that December works before you rely on it. February 27 is a junior's date, or a senior's date for later rounds, scholarships, and waitlists. The running calendar is ACT test dates, and the release mechanics are when ACT scores come out.

When a Retake Is Worth It

Register if you can name the section that is holding the Composite down. On the enhanced test the Composite is the rounded average of English, Math, and Reading. A 28 needs those three to sum to 83, 84, or 85. One weak section is enough to miss it. English is often the faster repair, because the conventions it tests are a finite list, but your score report decides, not a slogan. The report is explained in how to read an ACT score report.

Also register if a college you will apply to superscores and your best sections are on different dates. The Superscore may already be higher than any single Composite. A retake is then an attempt to replace the weakest of those three bests.

Skip the retake if every college on your list is test optional and your Composite sits below the range they publish, or if the only remaining date releases scores after the deadline. Also skip it if you would be repeating the same preparation. The class of 2026 gain is an average over students who chose to test again, many of them with school-funded retests and another year of coursework. It is not a reason to sit in December with no new work behind you.

How to Spend the Weeks Before December 12

From mid-October you have about seven weeks. Take one timed section in the subject that lags, list the miss types, and drill those. English has 50 questions in 35 minutes, Math 45 in 50, Reading 36 in 40. Science, if you are taking it, is its own optional section. Those counts are the enhanced ACT. Our December ACT study plan spreads the weeks. The hours in that plan are our estimate, not an ACT rule.

Do not chase a perfect 36 unless the section math says you are already next to it. A perfect ACT score is a different project. For a target you can reach from a nearby score, use the 24, 28, 30, or 32 plan, and check the percentile story on ACT percentiles and the matching "is this score good" page, such as is 28 a good ACT score.

Frequently Asked Questions About Retaking the ACT

Do most students raise their ACT when they retake it?

In the class of 2026, 31% tested more than once, and those retesters gained 1.1 Composite points on average. That is not a guarantee, and it is not the older 2.4-point Superscore figure from the class of 2025.

Does Science count in a retake Superscore?

No. The Superscore Composite averages your best English, Math, and Reading. Science is optional and stays off that Composite.

When is the next ACT after October 17, 2026?

December 12, 2026. Regular registration closes November 6, and the late deadline is November 29. Online scores start December 17 and paper scores December 22. Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Central.

Should I wait for October scores before I register for December?

Wait if you can still register by November 6 after you see them. Online scores start October 22, which is before that deadline. Paper scores start October 27, which is also before it. Register earlier only if a fee deadline or a sold-out center forces your hand.

Can one higher section help if the Composite stays flat?

At colleges that superscore, yes. They use your best English, Math, and Reading across dates. A college that requires a single sitting will not.

If you retake, spend the quizzes on the section that moves the average. Start a free ACT quiz or create a free account to keep a score estimate through December 12.